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Re: CSA Goat Baby



Just a quick note to let y'all know that Zephram Cochran and his mom are
doing fine; he may indeed need a nickname of "Stoopid" -- still hadn't
located the magic button on Gabby when I went back down again at 5 AM but
once I forced it into his mouth and squeezed while Gab stimulated his suck
reflex with a little back-end massage, he got the idea and should have a
gallon or so ingested within another ten minutes at the rate he was going
when I came back up here to post the report.

Looks like he's the only one for Gab this year.  And a fine little harness
wether he's going to be, too!   I should be able to get the pictures posted
by this weekend.

Heidi Ho-Ho Houdini was making goo-goo eyes at me when I came back up to
the house to haul warm water down to the blizzard-bound barn residents -- I
wouldn't be surprised if she follows Gabby into motherhood by this evening.

Gabby and Zephram will be leaving along with her daughter Lynn (who's
expecting around St. Pat's Day) to their new home on Sunday -- they've been
sold since Thanksgiving.  Zephram will be coming back to me, along with any
other boy-babies Gabby has in the future, part of the deal of the sale. 
They're going to a great home but one where boys are butchered.  I've
promised Gabby that my thanks to her for teaching me about goats (and
surviving my many mistakes) is providing a home for her boy-babies forever.
 One of her previous owners (an "organic" farmer) butchered buck kids and
hung the hides right in front of the barn stall where the mothers could see
and smell them.  Not my idea of humane treatment.

My CSA members think it's a hoot and a Very Worthwhile Thing to train
wethers how to earn their keep with packing and harness work.  And
brush-hogging, of course.  Somebody actually paid me last year to take my
goats and portable fence to his back yard to spend an afternoon eating out
a patch of poison ivy!  (The goats, not me -- I like salad but...)

And it looks like we're also going to be approved as a horse rescue foster
home.  They'll get into that one too, I'm sure.  Already have three
interested members for the horse and pony co-op and half-a-dozen volunteers
to clean the barn and do grooming on any rescues.

Dori Green:  Writer, Farmer, Facilitator
(and willing slave to the animals)
Ash Grove Community Farm & Center for Sustainable Living
http://www.servtech.com/public/funfarm/index.html